this morning on "early today," debate in danville. the vice presidential candidates square off tonight in their only face to face as polls tighten. developing right now in miami, trapped for 13 hours under concrete, a construction worker is pulled out alive from a collapsed parking garage that's already killed two. the search for survivors continues. and a search of another kind. a hearing over the benghazi terror attacks that led to four deaths including u.s. ambassador chris stevens gets seriously heated. chris stevens gets seriously heated. details next. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning.

i'm lynn berry. debate day in america. vice president joe biden and republican rival paul ryan prepare to square off tonight in kentucky. new poll numbers show the current vp has his work cut out for him. according to a new survey from the pew center, just 39% of voters like biden, 44% like ryan. the winner of tonight's debate, 40% of voters say ryan will come out on top while 34% think biden will prevail. nbc news's tracie potts joins us. the pressure is definitely on vice president biden to turn things around. he's got the experience on the debate stage to do so, but as you saw in those numbers, it looks like the public is betting more on paul ryan. ryan took a bit of an excursion yesterday while he was practicing in florida saying that the vice president will probably come at me like a

cannonball but that the obama record, as ryan put it, is his akil lee's heel. he's in kentucky, ryan is, after debate prep in florida and georgia. he's done three mock debates. meanwhile, the vice president has been in delaware focusing on ryan's book, speeches and budget. he wants to give ryan no chance to say this was not our position. the white house reluctant to address the debate last week saying that next week the president wants to focus on governing, but as you saw, it looks like a lot of people think this week the debate may go to ryan. we'll find out tonight. lynn. >> we sure will. tracie pots for us in washington. tracie, thank you. you can watch live coverage of the debate from danville, kentucky, 9:00 eastern, 6:00 p.m. pacific time right here on nfc. the latest nbc news wall street journal marist polls find that republican nominee mitt

romney has surged in three swing states. governor romney's largest gain was in virginia where he now leads president obama 48 to 47%. that's a virtual tie and within the margin of error. in florida president obama retains a one point lead over romney, 48 to 47%. in that key battleground state of ohio mitt romney gained two points but the president still leads 51 to 45. well, elsewhere today marks one month since the deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya. yesterday the white house again lied any intentional coverup of what led to the assault and said the investigation continues. lawmakers demanded to know how lax security may have been and whether warning signs were simply ignored. nbc's steve handlesman is in washington. >> reporter: to highlight his concern, president obama had his terrorism advisor john brennan in libya to push the investigation of the 9/11 2012 attack that killed u.s.

ambassador chris stevens and three others. but republicans at the house hearing charged the obama state department showed a lack of concern last summer after u.s. facilities in benghazi were attacked twice. >> i believe personally with more apt that more resources just meeting the minimum standards we could have and should have saved the life of ambassor stevens and the other people that were there. >> reporter: one of the witnesses agreed. lieutenant colonel andrew wood ran embassy skurlty until august. >> the situation remained uncertain and reports from some libyans indicated it was getting worse. >> reporter: just five u.s. agents protected the main u.s. compound. staffers recommended more. >> there wasn't sufficient resources provided. >> that was one of the main reasons i continued to ask for those resources, yes. >> reporter: but back in washington deputy assistant secretary of state charlene lamb said no. >> sir, we had the correct number of assets in benghazi at the time of 9/11 for what had

been agreed upon. >> saying you had a correct number and our ambassador and three others are dead and people are in the hospital recovering because it only took moments to breach that facility somehow doesn't seem to ring true to the american people. >> reporter: the state department now says two u.s. compounds were hit that night, one by a mortar that killed navy s.e.a.l.s who tried to save the ambassador. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, washington. now here's stories that are making news. we begin in california. a view owe rent scuffle broke out between opposing coaches after the game ended. it's unclear what started the may lay but it was stopped before any of the children or adults were injured. two florida construction workers were killed in a parking garage collapse. one witness said the five story lot was under construction when it just fell like a house of cards. rescuers pulled one survivor

from the rubble 13 hours after the collapse. crews will continue searching for the lone unaccounted for worker this morning. there goes the bride in new jersey. this woman swiped a $5,000 wedding dress right in broad daylight. she just walked off with it. she apparently had a small group of friends and a small child to distract the shop owners while she escaped. police are still looking for the woman. finally, a group of detroit residents helped a raccoon out of a very bizarre situation. poor little guy. the good samaritans freed the an ma's head from a jar when it came close enough. the jar was stuck on his head for hours. time now for a look at your regional weather. i don't know why i'm laughing at that. >> i don't know why you wouldn't be laughing. >> i know. >> it turned out all right. >> everything was fine. he is great. how is the weather? >> quiet. i'm going to miss this week, i'm sure. really no big issues out there

again this morning. it's a cold morning. this is about it. i think from here on out we're going to slowly warm things up across the country. then it will get a little more stormy as we go through the weekend into next week. we're watching areas from the great lakes all the way down to the ohio valley. some of the coldest mornings you've seen. temperatures were in the 30s in many areas. all the way down into northern portions of tennessee. there is a chill in the air. that air mass will settle over new england and the mid-atlantic. it will be sunny and dry. it will be a little bit on the cool side. as far as any showers go, northern wisconsin, even some snow showers trying to mix in. it is cold enough especially in the upper peninsula of michigan. this won't cause too many travel concerns. we'll look at all the sunshine for everyone on the east coast today. enjoy it. that's a look at your national forecast. now here's a look at the weather outside your window. once again, no one expects many travel issues today. we will see lots of sunshine and at worse partly cloudy skies.

one area that could see rain is at the ozarks. minor problems. again, quiet even tomorrow. enjoy it. >> all quiet on the western front. bill, thank you. coming up, a possible development in the search for a missing 10-year-old colorado girl, the best places to live for working moms, plus the low down on taylor swift's wedding crasher incident. so what really happened at the kennedy affair? you're watching "early today."

i'm lynn berry. breaking news overnight. a body has been found nea denver during the search for a 10-year-old girl missing since friday. however, right now police say they are unable to connect the discovery to missing jessica ridgeway who lived seven miles away. we, of course, will keep you updated. people across pakistan stood up to the taliban taking to the

streets to attempt the condemned murder of a 14-year-old girl shot in the head after blogging about girls' rights. she is reported to be out of immediate danger but doctors are considering moving her to a hospital bed in islamabad. the massachusetts pharmacy considered to be the source of a deadly meningitis outbreak. they settled a lawsuit a few years ago. they have temporarily suspended operations. after arguments wednesday the supreme court is now deciding whether the university of texas went too far in considering race as a factor in student admissions. texas executed convicted rapist and child killer jonathan green last night despite his attorney's claim green was mentally ill. russia doesn't want the u.s. to continue helping them to secure and dismantle its nuclear arsenal without changes to the deal. meanwhile, russian president vladimir putin is getting some

love. they starred in a video all to honor his 60th birthday. and now here's an early look at how wall street's going to kick off the day. the dow close the at 13 j. 344 after slipping 128 points yesterday. the s&p fell 8. the nasdaq lost 13. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei was down 49 points but in hong kong the hang seng gained 79. wall street is all about earnings right now, and wednesday caution from alcoa and a late-day warning from chevron dragged earnings lower. walmart was another bright spot hitting an all-time high on this season's lay away success and plans for more small scale stores. jpmorgan chase's cfo is reportedly stepping down at the end of the year. the bank's ceo, jamie dimon, made headlines yesterday backing

democrats on the tax cut debate saying he's willing to pay a higher individual rate. meanwhile, westgate resort mogul david siegel best known for his 90,000 square foot home warned his 65,000 employees if president obama is re-elected he'll be forced to downsize or shut down entirely. east man kodak wants a bankruptcy judge to end benefits to some 63,000 employees. gentleman on the data front, foreclosures dropped to a five time low and heating oil could be 19% more expensive this winter. according to forbes, columbus, ohio, is the best u.s. city city for working moms followed by new orleans, hartford, cincinnati and providence. it is the end of an era for coca-cola. the last iconic 6 1/2 ounce returnable bottles rolled off the production line in minnesota on tuesday. and finally, a cheesy publicity stunt could earn someone a lot of dough.

pizza hut is offering free pizza for life or over $15,000 to anyone willing to stand up and ask either candidate at next week's presidential debate if they prefer sausage or pepperoni on their pie. well, coming up, a damming report on cycling legend lance armstrong and doping, and the a's survive another day, plus one yankee slugger puts on his hero's hat twice in one game. your sports headlines are straight ahead. the dry weather pattern in the northwest is coming to an end. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. in sports, first to the bronx. yankee manager joe girardi made a very gutsy call pinch-hitting raul eye ban yaz. ibanez hits a home run to take the game to extras. three inks later ibanez connects again for a stunning 3-2 yankee victory. over to oakland. down 3-1 in the ninth, the a's seth smith hit a game-tieing two run double and coco crisp caps off the comeback with a two out rbi single. in cincinnati the giants hit three home runs and tim lincecum

pitched like the two time cy young award winner he is for an 8-3 victory over the reds. on to washington where cardinals rookie pete cazma hit a three run homer in the second. a trio of relievers finished the eighth. nothing shut out for the cards. sad news now, former nfl player and actor alex karras died yesterday. he was age 77. he was a former proe bowl tackle for the lions. he was remembered for his role in the 1980 sitcom "webster" and most notably for the role in "mongo" and "blazing saddles." the u.s. anti-doping agency revealed to lance armstrong 20 people who accuses him of doping. he's expecting teammates to do the same.

armstrong did not fight the usda's charges but insists he never cheated. >> announcer: early today sports is brought to you by just for men auto stop. gray is over. criminals target a teen heart thrown and 2012's most influential man. entertainment headlines are next. plus, much to do about a hairdo. a boy pays the price for a brave gesture. you're watching "early today."

well, good thursday morning to you. welcome back to "early today." it's a cold, chilly start in the ohio valley. after we get to the afternoon hours it should be very nice. we should see temperatures rising to the 60s in chicago. even the east coast after a breezy, chilly morning should get back to 60 degrees. not a lot of troublesome weather. don't expect a lot of airport delays. by the time we get to friday still looking pretty nice. a new storm system in the west is bouncing to the middle of the country. wlbz 2 in bangor maine, get ready for halloween. several sites ready for pair a normal activity. that's your early today event of the day. bangor's most famous resident? >> bill karins? >> steven king. >> thank you. well now some entertainment news. this just isn't justin bieber's news. he's been hit twice.

on tuesday he had a camera and computer stolen while performing in tacoma, washington. yesterday he was the latest person to be targeted by swatting. thankfully the biebs is okay. actress jennifer gardner is speaking out for america's kids. she's saying children are falling behind in school. axe men is releasing its list of 2012 most influential list. bill carriages, can you believe it? no, just kidding. no other than james bond and it's not the actor, but the fictional character likely due to the new 007 film coming out. finally, taylor swift is setting the record straight about crashing the kennedy wedding in august. the 22-year-old singer tells rolling stone it was all just a big misunderstanding and she would never show up uninvited or want to upstage anyone, never.

>> i love clarifications three weeks or a month after the fact. >> i know. maybe two months. >> has it been that long? >> oh, by the way, is it time for me to talk about that? this comes to us from wfla in tampa, florida, where 12-year-old michael justies faces an in school suspension for violating the school's hair policy. he and his entire family died their hair pink to honor family members who had cancer. he died his hair black to accommodate the principal's decision. well, i'm lynn berry and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

a chilly start to your day. swrooel your forecast in just a moment. >> making news at this hour, more than just a sideshow. why the stakes tonight in the vice presidential debate are big oher than in elections past. good morning, everybody. i'm aaron gilchrist. >> and i'm eun yang. welcome to news4 today. this morning we'll get more answers about the death of a giant panda cub at the national zoo. the cub lived for six days before it died late last month. zoo keepers now believe the panda was a female. a preliminary report showed the cub had liver abnormalities and

fluid in its abdomen. the zoo will hold a news conference at 10:00 a.m. we will be there. look for the latest at news4 midday at 11:00. the nationals get another shot at making magic this afternoon. they have to beat the cardinals today or they will be eliminated from the playoffs. the nats fell to st. louis 8-0 yesterday. that gives the cards a 2-1 lead in the best of five series. the defeat spoiled the first postseason game played in the district in nearly eight decades. ross detwiler pitching for the nats. they'll be facing kyle lohse who was the cardinals' best pitcher during the regular season. nats fans aren't ready to give up hope just yet either. a record-setting crowd of more than 45,000 people packed nationals park for yesterday's game. a lot of those folks had their own take on what the nationals have to do to turn this series around. >> our pitching. we can't pitch all of a sudden. nobody can pitch. >> not enough confidence